Emulate Buddhists' self-restraint, M'sians advised

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians should learn from Buddhists to practise self-restraint, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said today.
"Even with more than 30,000 people participating, the Wesak Day processions have always been quiet and organised. It has always been incident-free and the crowd has never given any problems to the police," he said during his Wesak Day procession opening speech at the Buddhist Maha Vihara.
Nazri also thanked the Buddhist community for inviting him to officiate at the procession, explaining that it is tradition to have a Buddhist minister or government official attend the event and it is a good change that exemplified unity in multi-cultural Malaysia.
He added that the Buddhist community truly practises the principle of moderation as taught by Buddhism, and that it is a rare sight to see people of various religious and cultural backgrounds participating in Wesak Day celebrations.
Malaysia high priest of Buddhism Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana dedicated the procession to those affected by the recent earthquake in Nepal, saying that it is indeed a great tragedy to befall such a holy place.
Dhammaratana said all Buddhists here share the pain of Nepalis who are affected, with at least 7,000 dead, tens of thousands injured and thousands more still unaccounted.
He then led a five-minute prayer and group meditation for the victims.
The Wesak Day procession yesterday saw over 30,000 participants in a 12km march featuring 20 floats, which started from 7pm and ended at about 10.30pm.